Grendel by John Gardner

4.5 (2)
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Product details

Web ID: 16778142

This classic and much lauded retelling of Beowulf follows the monster Grendel as he learns about humans and fights the war at the center of the Anglo Saxon classic epic. "An extraordinary achievement. " -New York Times. The first and most terrifying monster in English literature, from the great early epic Beowulf, tells his own side of the story in this frequently banned book. This is the novel William Gass called "one of the finest of our contemporary fictions".

  • Product Features

    • Suggested age range- 14-18 years
    • Format- Paperback
    • Dimensions- 5.2" W x 8" H x 0.5" D
    • Genre- Fiction
    • Publisher- Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Publication date- 05-14-1989
    • Page count- 192
    • ISBN- 9780679723110

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Ratings & Reviews

4.5/5

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2 years ago
from USA

Tragic Philosophy Meets Confusing Language

I would recommend this book! I have to admit, the writing made the story rather confusing, especially in the beginning. At first, Grendel seems like nothing more than a melodramatic crybaby who can't get over himself. However, as you read on, his character becomes more nuanced and actually quite compelling. I feared that this book would just be another attempt at turning a villain from one story into the good-guy. Gardner doesn't really do that. Sure, the reader can almost sympathize with Grendel, but not to the point where they hate King Hrothgar, his court, and humans in general. Grendel is still the monster he was in Beowulf, but this time the reader knows what's going on inside his head. Whether you'll enjoy the book probably depends on whether or not you can see past Grendel's melodramatic quasi-Post-Modernist personality (especially in the beginning of the story). Personally, I thought it was a profound, tragic tale about a monster who didn't have the strength of will to resist evil.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

4 years ago

Grendel Is The Monster

The first time I read this I knew I had enjoyed some part of it but I wasn't quite sure why. Then I read it again and realized this isn't simply a book that explains away the evil of the villain of a classic story, it actually emphasizes his monstrosity. The seemingly arbitrary cruelty of reality pulls him towards nihilism while the ordered storytelling that the humans present pulls him towards hope. But Grendel is the monster, he rejects the human storytelling as propaganda because it doesn't match his experience of reality as he comprehended it without realizing the irony he builds his own story one of chaos and arbitrariness that ends in his ruin. Grendel is a black mirror to us all it shows us result of pride, ignorance, and the unwilling recognition of our insufficiencies. Ultimately it's a book that stands against nihilism. I would also suggest giving the audiobook a listen.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com